The present invention generally relates to rearview mirror assemblies for vehicles, and more particularly to exterior rearview mirror assemblies incorporating light modules.
Light modules have been incorporated in vehicle rearview mirror assemblies for various purposes. For example, map lamps and indicator lights have been incorporated in interior rearview mirror assemblies. In exterior rearview mirror assemblies, it has become common to provide a turn signal light module on either the housing of the mirror assembly or behind the mirror element itself. When positioned behind the mirror element, the light from the light module is projected through either a transparent window that is formed in front of the lights of the light module or through a partially transmissive, partially reflective (i.e., “transflective”) layer of the mirror element. When mounting such a turn signal light module on the rear of a mirror element, it is important to ensure that the light module is not too heavy so as to significantly increase the effect of vehicle vibration on the mirror element, and hence the image viewable from the mirror element. Additionally, one need be careful about etching away too much of the reflective surface area of the mirror so as to not significantly reduce the area of the viewable image reflected from the mirror and possibly reduce the dimming capacity of the mirror in at least that region.
Turn signal indicators provided in exterior rearview mirror assemblies have typically included a plurality of LED devices that all blink together in unison. When providing a number of different light sources in a mirror assembly for various functions, it is possible that a driver could confuse the turn signal light for some other light or vice versa. Thus, a more distinctive method of indicating a turn would be desirable.
Exterior rearview mirrors are also known which incorporate a “puddle light” lamp module in the housing of the exterior rearview mirror assembly. Such puddle lights direct light downward from the bottom portion of the mirror housing onto an area of the ground near the front doors of the vehicle. Heretofore, such puddle light lamp modules have been mounted to the housing of the exterior rearview mirror assembly, often along with an additional turn signal lamp assembly, which significantly increases the size of the housing without resulting in a corresponding increase in the size of the rearview mirror element. Such a large exterior rearview mirror housing raises not only styling concerns, but also concerns pertaining to aerodynamics and wind noise.
In addition to the above, it has been proposed to add blind spot indicator lights to outside rearview mirror assemblies. Examples of which are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,313,335, 5,786,772, and 5,929,786. With it becoming more popular to incorporate “puddle lights” and turn signals into outside mirror assemblies, adding an additional light module for blind spot indication adds to the complexity, size, and weight of the mirror assembly. In addition, either additional wiring must be run to the mirror subassembly to support this function, or the blind spot detection sensors and control circuitry must also be provided in the mirror assembly.